The Toy Box

My Favorite Childhood Toys

First off I would like to remind my fellow retro-junkers that I have other articles written under the username of ray229. Feel free to go back and give those a read if you are so inclined.

This article is exactly what my title says. It's about my favorite childhood toys. These range in date from the late 80's to about mid 90's. And as per usual I'm not just talking about things that happen to be popular, but more specifically what I remember or liked best. Hence the title, "My Favorite Childhood Toys" That said, let's begin:

Barbie:

Unfortunately not as popular today as in years past (although she can still hold her own) Barbie is often passed by in favor of more "unique" looking dolls, Monster High for example. I find this ironic due to the fact that both dolls are made by Mattel. It's almost like the company responsible for the success of Barbie is now responsible for her decline. My daughter has several Barbie and Monster High dolls. Nothing against Monster High, but they just don't seem to have the staying power that Barbie has (and all their limbs coming off while trying to play can be frustrating). The Barbie Life In The Dream House web series is doing a good job of putting the spotlight back on Barbie, and not just her, but all her friends too. The series doesn't take itself seriously, rather it pokes fun at itself and the long history of Barbie and it's funny to boot! I would choose Barbie over Monster High any day and I believe my daughter would too.

Totally Hair Barbie. I mentioned in my first article that while in a tug-o-war with my sister, my Totally Hair Barbie lost her head. Stinkin' little sister!

Roller-Blade Barbie. I remember getting her for my 11th birthday. Her skates reminded me of a cigarette lighter.

Jem:

There were several versions of this truly truly outrageous doll and her friends. But for me, it was all about Rockin' Curl Jem. Although I watched the cartoon, I honestly don't remember a whole lot about the series. But what I do remember is the glamour and glitter of my Jem doll.

Lady Lovely-locks:

If memory serves I think I had all these dolls and all their accessories. I also had some VHS tapes that we bought from our local video store (Thumbs Up Video). The videos featured a mix of cartoon with live action introductions by "Lady Lovely-Locks" I know these were popular, but I didn't know anybody else who even knew who she was. Perhaps my friends just weren't as cool I was. I remember liking Duchess Raven-waves for some reason. Maybe it was her hair. Sure there were no pixie tails living in her mane, but it was pretty to look at just the same.

Dolly Surprise:

Probably the most unique or unusual toy to make my list. How someone thought to create a doll whose hair grows when you lift her arm is beyond me, but this was a fun doll to play with.

Magic Nursery Pets:

Surprise was the whole point of this stuffed animal. You were supposed to take the package it came with and dip it in water to revel what kind of animal you had just brought home. I remember very clearly my Dad ruining this for me. He got mad for whatever reason (as he so often did) and just ripped it open and I don't quite remember what happened, but it ended up so that I wasn't able to properly discover what kind of animal I had just got nor could I enjoy the surprise of it all. However once you un-tucked certain features, it was pretty obvious what animal you got. I had the purple bear.

Littlest Pet Shop:

I had a friend growing up who owned what seemed like every single LPS set ever made! I however, was more selective about my LPS toys. Being a cat lover, I had several cats/kitten sets and of course the kennel, which I loved!

Cupcakes:

I don't remember if there was a story or a cartoon or what-have-you to match these dessert inspired dolls, but I really remember liking them.

Skip-it:

Need I say more?...I think not.

Karate Action Power Rangers:

One of the few games my sister Becky and I could talk our brother James into playing with us was Power Rangers. When we weren't watching the series or pretending to be the Rangers ourselves we could be found playing with our Karate Action Power Ranger Dolls. I liked Trini, so naturally I had the yellow ranger. My sister liked Kimberly so of course she had the pink power ranger. But I would steal Kimberly and play with her when my sister wasn't around. Ahh...good times!

Pogs:

I enjoyed playing Pogs and I remember them fondly enough for it to make my list. However, there wasn't a lot to it and it wasn't all that challenging. Yet Pogs were still a very big deal. Businesses in my hometown used to hold Pog tournaments (no I never competed).

My Little Pony:

I had several My Little Pony toys. What I like best were these mini versions. If I remember correctly there was a matching little house and the bottom of the mini ponies were horse-shoe shaped and unlocked certain part of the house.

Candyland:

Who didn't own or at least play Candyland during their childhood? Heck I'd play it today if I still had it! I owned several of these when I was younger because I kept losing cards or people. I know the one I grew up is not how it looked when Candyland originally came out (this game is lot older than most people may realize), but this is the one I grew up with. The new one is just hideous!

Trolls:

I had several different sizes of Troll dolls and I named all of them after characters from Beauty and the Beast. I dunno why...

Strawberry Shortcake:

I don't recall having much in the way of Strawberry Shortcake toys. But I remember for sure that I had Strawberry herself, who of course was strawberry scented as well as her little kitty Custard, and a couple VHS tapes of the cartoon.

The Little Mermaid:

I loved (and still do) The Little Mermaid. I saw it in theatres in 1989 and from then on I was a woman obsessed. I had dolls, clothes, shoes, lunch box, backpack, folders, curtains, bed set, etc. You name it I had it! I passed this Ariel obsession down to my daughter. She owned 5 different Ariel dolls at one point! In fact, one my very favorite belongings is a Thermos brand Little Mermaid lunch box I picked up at an antique store back home.Here's a pic:

And last, but certainly not least

Snuffles:

Snuffles is a stuffed polar bear made by the Gund company. I've had him nearly my entire life. However, my Snuffles goes by the name of Squishy Bear and to this day he sits on the nightstand by my bed. He has traveled cross country with me and accompanied me on many a sleepovers. Growing up I had never seen another Squishy Bear, so it never occurred to me that mine wasn't the only one. In fact it wasn't until I was married, just had a baby girl, and living in Florida that I ever saw another Snuffles. I bought one for my daughter. We also named him Squishy Bear and I never seen another one since. And that was nearly 11 years ago. When I was little and on a sleep over or visiting my Grandparents for the week, my Mom would spray her perfume on him to help make being apart from her a little easier. Even today when I miss my Mom I still find comfort in spraying a little perfume on Squishy Bear. Squishy Bear is more than a toy. He is my oldest friend. I have hugged him and cried on him and even confided in him at times (as if he was listening).

Well this concludes my look back. Thanks for reading. Until next time!

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One of my best freinds used to play with Strawberry Shortcake (yes, she is a girl) and during our visit when I first found out about that I told her I love strawberry shortcake. The look on her face was classic, (lol!) so I cleared that up by explaining that I meant the pastry, not the character (it's my favorite summer time treat as I'm probably one of the world's biggest strawberry fans). She was quite releaved by this of course. Just a personal 80's story that I get a laugh out of sometimes and I thaught this was a fitting article for it. I got my mom one of those trolls for her birthday once too because she thaught they were cute, I think she may still have it too. I also remember the TV commercial for Skip-It which used a remake of the 80's song "Whip It!" and I agree with moldvoldie1, it was WAY over played. I also had some pogs but I don't know what happened to them. And yes, classic Candy Land is better design wise than the modern version. Not bad, thumbs up.

This article reminds me of going to Toys R' Us as a kid and watching my older sister go down the "pink" aisle. Good read, I remember my sister having tons of Barbies. I know she liked Lady Lovely-Locks too, and I know we had a Strawberry Shortcake puzzle. I completely agree with your thoughts on the new candyland. I think that game goes back to 1940's. But yeah, the one from our generation was the best. Something about that artwork was special.